What Being the Only Team Without a First Round Pick Means for the Kings
As the 2025 NBA Draft approaches, the Sacramento Kings stand alone as the only team without a first-round pick. This unusual circumstance resulted from past trade decisions, where immediate roster upgrades were prioritized over future draft capital. While other teams prepare to infuse their lineups with young, high-potential talent, the Kings must look elsewhere to improve through free agency, player development, or savvy second-round selections. This lack of a first-round pick places pressure on the front office to find value in other areas and maximize the current core’s potential. It also raises broader questions about the team’s long-term vision and whether sacrificing future assets has moved them closer to becoming a serious contender in the Western Conference.
As the 2025 NBA Draft approaches, the Sacramento Kings find themselves in an unusual position: they are the only team without a first-round pick. This situation stems from a 2022 trade with the Atlanta Hawks, in which the Kings agreed to send their first-round pick to Atlanta, protected for selections one through twelve in 2024, one through twelve in 2025, and first through tenth in 2026. If the pick doesn't convey by 2026, the Kings will send their 2026 and 2027 second-round picks to the Hawks. In the 2024 draft, the Kings retained their pick due to the protection, but in 2025, their pick fell outside the top 12, resulting in the pick conveying to Atlanta. Had the Kings finished with a worse record, leading to a top-12 pick, they would have retained it for another year. This absence of a first-round pick places added pressure on the front office to find value through other avenues, such as free agency or player development, and raises questions about the team's long-term strategy and competitiveness in the evolving Western Conference.
While the Kings have multiple future first-round picks and other assets lined up beyond this year's draft, missing out in 2025 stings more than usual, given the quality and depth of this particular draft class. This year’s pool is significantly stronger than the previous few. It offers a mix of high-upside prospects and NBA-ready talent that could have helped Sacramento strengthen its rotation or even land a future cornerstone. To make matters worse, the surprising lottery results compounded the Kings’ draft misfortune. Western Conference rivals like the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs, teams the Kings are directly competing with, secured the top two picks, despite already having arguably more promising rosters. Watching neighboring competitors reload with elite talent while sitting on the sidelines only magnifies the pressure on Sacramento to find alternative ways to stay competitive in an increasingly loaded conference.
This year’s lottery results also underscore a growing challenge for teams like the Kings: Tanking in the Western Conference is no longer reliable. With teams finishing only marginally worse suddenly vaulting into top pick territory, the unpredictability of the lottery makes it risky to sacrifice seasons in hopes of securing a star. Instead, the Kings now face intensified pressure to win through other means, namely, by identifying and acquiring proven NBA talent who can contribute immediately. This reality puts the spotlight squarely on the newly restructured front office and coaching staff, who must navigate a tight competitive window without the benefit of a top rookie. If Sacramento hopes to keep pace with rising teams like the Spurs and Mavericks, it’ll need to outmaneuver them with smarter signings, trades, and player development, not just wait for luck to go their way finally.
